Virginia Ali
Virginia Ali is an American business owner known for co-founding Ben's Chili Bowl in Washington, D.C.
Early life
Ali was born on December 17, 1933, and is of African American and Native American descent. She was raised in rural Virginia and was educated in a segregated school system. She moved with her family to Washington, D.C., in the 1950s.Career
After moving to Washington, Ali worked as a teller at Industrial Bank, a historic Black owned business. It was there that she met husband Ben Ali when he visited the bank to deposit money from a local restaurant where he worked.Ali and Ben opened Ben's Chili Bowl on U Street in Washington, D.C., on August 22, 1958. Many famous entertainers frequented the family-run restaurant, in the heart of the Shaw neighborhood. The restaurant became a favorite late-night gathering place for the likes of Duke Ellington, Dinah Washington and Redd Foxx. Martin Luther King Jr., Jesse Jackson, and Stokely Carmichael often ate together at the Chili Bowl.
During the 1968 Washington, D.C., riots after the death of King, Ali kept the Chili Bowl open at the request of Stokely Carmichael.
Ali has served on the boards of several organizations, including For Love of Children.